Frozen
by Goddess Night
Summary: Midna misplaced the crystal that changes Link into a wolf, but she still makes him go up snowpeak. When he doesn't find the Yeti, what became of him? Oneshot


I glanced around me, shoving my hands into my armpits in the hope of sustaining some of the warmth that was already beginning to leave my body. My feet had gone numb an hour ago, but they still kept taking step after step in the same direction. The scene never changed, the almost perpetual whiteness of the snow around me making me feel as though I was going to go blind if I didn't catch a glimpse of some other color. The wind and snow bit at my face as I pushed onward; I'm almost desperate now to find some form of a shelter to protect me from the brutal cold, from the never ending snow and sleet.

To make things worse, my hat had blown away long ago, leaving my head open to the cold that so greedily stole my heat and energy. I promised myself if I didn't die out here today, I'd kill Midna for losing the black and orange onyx crystal that turns me into a wolf at will and making me come out here without so much as a jacket to protect me from the bitter winds and endless nights. The thin material of the Hero's Tunic could only protect me for so long, and the metal chain mail beneath it as well. A wolf's fur and speed would have helped… a lot.

The snow came down harder, obscuring my view even farther. I heard the howl of a wolf in the distance, like a cry that cut through the snow for only me to hear. The crunching of my boots was soon replaced by a small, barely-audible swish as they were buried beneath the snow. I had too little energy now to pick my feet up over the snow and step on it. They simply dragged along, numb and probably frozen too, my ankles the only thing keeping me moving. Looking at my hands, the tips of my fingers were a sickening bluish color as I lost the feeling in them as well. I shivered and stuffed them back where they were.

All thoughts left my mind, and simply I had to think about each step to make them happen. Step, step, step ,step, left, right, left, right. It was a dying cycle as my movements slowed and my vision darkened at the edges, a ring of black in the whiteness.

I froze.

My legs wouldn't work anymore no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't decide if they were just frozen beneath the snow or I just didn't have the will-power anymore to keep going. I glanced around one last time. Nothing changed. Not even the snow behind me where I'd stepped on it. It had been replaced by fresh snow, the snow that never ended.

"Link?" a tiny voice called. I almost didn't hear it. It was at the edge of my mind, so quiet. "Link, are you alright?" Step. This time I fell over, but once I hit the ground I didn't even try to push myself back up. My legs were numb, my face burning from the cold snow beneath my face. I didn't move. My arms lay limply at my sides. "Link!"

That voice… in the recesses of my mind I knew I needed to go on and get to the top of snow peak. I knew how much this quest meant for Hyrule, the Twilight Realm, for Midna and Zelda, Ilia and the rest of the children… but I've reached my limit here, both physically and mentally.

"M-m-midna," I said. My voice sounded strained to me, but it felt so far away. The cold seemed to seep away with it. I blinked away some snow from my eyes as the little shadow of the Twilian imp appeared in front of me. "I'm s-s-s-sorry."

"Link, you can't die! You can't! Hyrule needs you! I need you!" She cried. To me, it sounded as though it were two people talking instead of just one, her melodic voice sounding like a strange sort of harmony. The dark ring in my vision grew, an almost welcome relief to the whiteness. "I need you…" She repeated in a whisper. For the first time, she almost sounded worried for me. I took a shuddering breath and released it, the cloud seeping away with the cold.

"I wish I c-c-c-could have s-seen your r-r-r-realm, M-M-Midna." She placed a tiny hand on my face. My hand began to glow and she jumped back. I closed my eyes as the cold seeped further away. As my breathing slowed, I opened my eyes to look at Midna. It sounded like she whimpered, but I couldn't believe she would ever do that. She's too defiant to do that. Closing them again, what little feeling I had left in my body disappeared completely. I exhaled, but inhaling was out of the question. I didn't want to put up with the cold anymore. All this fighting, the many sleepless nights and hours of no eating, all the creatures I'd killed in the name of Hyrule… I'd reached my limit. Blissful darkness overtook all of my senses, and I was gone to the world.


End file.
